Matrix assembler



Oct. 24, 1933.

s. E. SPERRY 1,932,366

MATRIX AS SEMBLER Filed May 10, 1933 Patented Got. 24, 1933 MATRIXASSEMBLER Samuel E. Sperry, Hollis, N. assignor to Inter typeCorporation, Brcoklyn, N. 21., a corporation oi New York Application May10, 1933, Serial No. 670,354, and in Germany May 24, 1932 8 Claims. (Cl.199-39) The present invention relates to improvements in typographicalmachines of the general class disclosed in U, S. Letters Patent No.436,532

granted September 16, 1890 to O. Mergenthaler,

wherein character bearing matrices stored in a magazine are deliveredtherefrom, under control of a keyboard, and assembled in a line fromwhich a type bar or slug is subsequently cast, the

matrix assemblers of such machines being usually provided with'aso-called assembler slide having a finger against which the matrix lineis assembled and the advance of which is resisted by a spring or weightwhich serves to return the slide to normal position after a line hasbeen removed therefrom, a brake being arranged to act on the slide toprevent return movement thereof until after removal of the line.

The primary object of the present invention is to provide means forfacilitating the operation of inserting, removing or substitutingmatrices or otherwise altering the composition of the matrix line.Heretofore, it has been necessary for the operator to release the braketo. allow a sufficient amount of return movement of the assembler slideto enable it to reengage the line and hold the matrices therein upright,as an operation separate from that of stopping and starting theoperation of the assembling devices or of releas- ,ing a tight line bythe usual tight line release lever. The present invention, however,enables such release of the brake to be effected automatically orconcurrently with the operation of the controlling means for the drivingmeans of the assembling devices or concurrently with the operation ofthe tight line release lever, the operation of changing the compositionof the matrix line being thereby simplified and rendered more convenientfor the operator and the proper holding of the line by the assemblerslide, after a change has been made in the composition thereof, beingautomatically insured.

To these and other ends, the invention consists in certain improvementsand combinations and arrangements of parts all as will be hereinaftermore fully described, the features of novelty being pointed outparticularly in the claims at the end of the specification.

In the accompanying drawing- Fig. 1 is a front elevation of a matrixassembler for a typographical machine of the class referred to andembodying the present invention;

' Fig; 2 is a top plan view, partly in section, of

the assembler shown in Fig. 1;

Fig.3 is a fragmentary section taken'on the line 3-3 in Fig. 1 andlooking downwardly; and

Fig. 4 is a detail vertical section taken on the line ll in Fig. 1.

Similar parts are designated by the same reference characters in thedifferent figures.

The invention is shown in the present instance applied to a matrixassembler similar to that commonly used on typographical machines, theassembler comprising the usual revoluble star wheel-1, a belt pulley 2adjacent thereto and over which the usual inclined matrix conveyor belt3 passes, the belt 3 being arranged to receive the matrices released inthe usual manner from the magazine 1 and dropping by gravity throughpassages between the guides or partitions 4 in the usual assemblerfront. The matrices received by the belt 3 are conveyed thereby to thestar wheeland into an assembling receptacle 5, the star wheel beinglocated at the entrance thereof and operating to stack or assemble thematrices successively in a line therein. The receptacle 5 in which thematrices are assembled is usually, composed of a so-called assemblingelevator which is capable of being lifted, after a matrix line, has beenassembled therein, to elevate the matrix line for removal therefrom andforwarding to the casting point at which the type bar or slug is castagainst the character bearing edges of the matrices, in the usual andwell known way.

The matrices introduced into the assembling receptacle 5 are assembledagainst a finger 6 which is carried by a so-called assembler slide '7,the finger 6 engaging the first or foremost matrix in the line to keepit and the succeeding matrices between the finger 6 and the star'wheelinupright position, and the assembler slide is ad-'. vanced by the line ofmatrices as the length thereof increases due to the progressive introduction of the matrices therein by the star wheel,

' The finger 6 of the assembler slide is constantly urged toward thestar wheel, as usual, by means such as a spring, 8 attached to one endof a lever 9, the latter being pivoted to the assembler frame at 10 andhaving its opposite endcon nected as by a link 11 to the assemblerslide. As the matrices are brought into the line in the as semblingreceptacle 5, the star wheel presses against each incoming matrix andthereby advances the finger 6 and the assembler slide, thereby movingthe finger 6 away from the star wheel and stretching the spring 8. Inorder to prevent return of the assembler slide under the action of thespring 8 while the matrix line is being lifted from behind the finger 6by the usual lifting of the assembling elevator by the operator for thetransfer of the matrix line to the casting point, a brake 12 isprovided, this brake as shown being pivoted at 13 to the assembler frameand carrying shoes 14 composed of fiber or other suitable materialarranged to engage the upper and lower edges of the assen: bling slide7, these shoes acting to clamp against said edges of the assemblingslide to prevent return movement thereof but allowing the assemblerslide to advance freely during assembling of the matrix line, the brakebeing then moved in a. direction to relieve the grip of the shoes on theassembler slide. A spring 15 connected to the brake normally holds thebrake shoes in positions to clamp or grip the assembler slide. Aftera'matrix line has been removed from a position behind the finger 6 ofthe assembler slide, the brake 12 is released to permit the assemblerslide to return to its normal or starting position under the action ofthe spring 8, by any suitable means such, for example, as that disclosedin U. S. Letters Patent No. 1,648,847, granted November 8, 1927, to T.S. Homans.

The revoluble star wheel 1 and belt pulley 2, which constitute theoperating matrix assembling devices of the assembler, are connected tobe driven in the usual or any suitable way, as by a belt pulley 16 overwhich a driving belt 17 driven from any suitable part of the machinepasses, and in order to enable these assembling devices to be thrown outof action momentarily, as may become necessary to permit an alterationto be made in the matrix line, as for example the correction of errorstherein, adjustment of the line for proper spacing or the insertion ofhand spaces or quad matrices for special characters, a loose belt pulley18 is arranged adjacent to the driving pulley 16 so that the belt 17 maybe shifted to this loose pulley to interrupt the operation of the matrixassembling devices, a belt shifting member such as a rod 19 beingmounted to reciprocate in the assembler frame and having a fork 20thereon to guide the belt 17 onto the loose pulley 18 to stop theoperation of the assembler when the rod 19 is pushed rearwardly and toguide the belt 17 onto the driving pulley 16 to start the operation ofthe assembler when the rod 19 is shifted into its forward position.

Heretofore, when it has been necessary to stop the drive of theassembler and make an alteration in the matrix line, as for example byremoving wrong matrices, restarting of the assembler, as by the shiftingof the driving belt 17 onto the driving pulley 16, was necessary.However, since the removal or alteration of the composition of thematrices in the line leaves the line in a loose condition, it isnecessary to release the brake 12 from the assembler slide so that thelatter may be free to return to a sufiicient extent to clamp the lineand hold the matrices between the finger 6 and the star wheel upright,before the assembler is again started into operation, and it has beenthe practice heretofore to release the brake manually by an operationindependent of or in addition to that of moving the drive control shiftrod 19. These separate or independent operations heretofore required arerendered unnecessary by the present invention which provides meanscontrolled or actuated by the drive controlling means for the assemblerfor releasing the action of the brake on the assembler slide.

In the construction shown for this purpose in the present instance, arod 21 is pivotally connected to the upper end of the brake 12 andextends to and has an end bearing against a cam 22 formed in a side ofthe drive control rod or member 19, this cam having a rise thereinarranged to engage the rod 21, as the drive controlling rod 19 movesfrom driving position to stopping position and vice versa, and whilethis rise in the cam engages the rod 21 the latter will move the brake12 into released relation with the assembler slide but when the drivecontrolling rod 19 is in either driving or stopping position, the rod 21will be opposite to low portions of the cam and the brake will then berelieved of the influence of the rod 21 and will be free to grip theassembler slide. With this arrangement, it will be seen that if theassembler has been stopped by pushing the control rod 19 rearwardly soas to carry the driving belt 17 from the driving pulley 16 to the idle,loose pulley 18, starting of the assembler drive by pulling thecontrolling rod 19 forwardly and thereby shifting the driving belt 17back to the driving pulley 16. after an adjustment of the matrix linehas been made, will bring the high or raised portion of the cam 22against the end of the rod 21 and will thereby move the latter in adirection to swing the brake 12 into a position to release it from theassembler slide. Such release of the brake will allow the assemblerslide sufiicient re turn movement or movement toward the right in Fig. 1to cause the finger 6 on said slide to close any gap left in the line byremoval of matrices, and since such release of the brake is effectedautomatically or by the same operation which controls the assemblerdrive, it will be unnecessary, with the improved arrangement, for theoperator to release the brake by an operation separate from that ofstarting and stopping the assembler drive, since the operator will befree to stop and start the assembler drive whenever desired and thebrake will be released so that the assembler slide will always return toits proper position against the matrix line each time the assemblerdrive is started. 7

The present invention also provides means for releasing the brake fromthe assembler slide by operation of the usual tight line release lever.This tight line release lever 23, which may be pivoted to rock on asupporting shaft 24 so as to swing out of the path of a stop block 25 onthe assembler slide, which limits the extent of the advance of thelatter, in the event that it is desired to add an extra matrix to theline, is provided with a lug 26 arranged to bear on the forward end of aplunger 27 mounted to reciprocate in the assembler frame and constantlypressed forwardly by a spring 28. This plunger is provided with a cam 29which projects from a side thereof, and a rod 30, which is connected tothe upper end of the brake 12 and may be formed in one piece with therod 21, is arranged to be engaged by the cam 29. This arrangementprovides an additional or independent release for the brake which islocated more conveniently at the point of assembly of the matricesrather than at the right hand end of the keyboard. In using thisarrangement, when matrices are inserted or adjusted in a partly filledline by hand, the operator first advances the assembler slide and thefinger 6 thereon to provide space for insertion or adjustment of suchmatrices, such advance of the assembler slide being permitted by thebrake 12, but immediately after the line adjustment has been completed,rearward pressure against the tight line release lever 23 forces theplunger 27 rearwardly, thus bringing the cam 29 thereon against the rod30 and thereby actuating the latter in a direction to release the brake12 from the assembler slide, thereby freeing the latter for returnmovement or movement toward the right in Fig. 1 and thereby causing thefinger 6 to take up any slack or excess space in the matrix line thatthe operator may have brought about by advancing the assembler slide toinsert such matrices or to otherwise adjust the line.

If the tight line release lever 23 is raised by the operator to permitan extra matrix to be added to a full line, it is unnecessary to operatethe tight line release lever to release the assembler slide brake sincethe assembler slide brake will be released automatically in the usualway to permit the assembler slide to return to its normal position, bythe raising of the assembling elevator, as disclosed for example in saidPatent No. 1,648,847. Although, when the assembler slide is advanced topermit an extra matrix to be added to a full line, the stop block 25will be advanced so that it will be under the tight line release lever23, it being understood that the assembler slide needs to be advancedonly to the small extent required to admit one or possibly two thinmatrices which can be added to the line, so that the stop block 25 willnot be advanced to the left beyond the tight line release lever, thetight line release lever will merely rest on said stop block and thelatter will be free to ride from beneath said lever and permit theassembler slide to return to its normal position when its brake isreleased in the manner just described.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a matrix assembler for typographical machines comprisingassembling devices for assembling matrices in a line, an assembler slideto receive the matrices and to be advanced thereby while beingassembled, means for driving the assembling devices including means forcontrolling the operation thereof, means acting to return the assemblerslide, and a brake controlling return motion of said slide, meansgoverned by the controlling means for said driving means for releasingsaid brake to permit return motion of said slide.

2. In a matrix assembler for typographical machines comprisingassembling devices for assembling matrices in a line, an assembler slideto receive the matrices and to be advanced thereby, means for drivingthe assembling devices including means for controlling the operationthereof, means acting to return the assembler slide, and a brakecontrolling return motion of saidslide, means actuated by the operationof the controlling means for said driving means for releasing said brakefrom the assembler slide.

3. In a matrix assembler for typographical machines comprisingassembling devices for assembling matrices in a line, an assembler slideto receive the matrices and to be advanced thereby during theirassembly, driving means for the assembling devices including controllingmeans for stopping and starting the operation thereof, means acting toreturn the assembler slide and a brake controlling return motion of saidslide, means actuated by operation of the controlling means for saiddriving means for releasing said brake and thereby permitting returnmotion of the assembler slide.

4. In a matrix assembler for typographical machines comprisingassembling devices for assembling matrices in a line, an assembler slideto receive the matrices and to be advanced thereby during theirassembly, means acting to return the assembler slide, a brakecontrolling return motion of said slide, and means including areciprocatory member for controlling the operation of the assemblingdevices, said member having a cam thereon, and a rod cooperative withsaid cam and connected to the brake and operative to release the actionof the brake on the assembler slide when said member is operated.

5. In a matrix assembler for typographical machines comprising devicesfor assembling matrices in a line, an assembler slide arranged toreceive the matrices and to be advanced thereby during their assembly,means acting to return the assembler slide, a brake controlling returnmotion of said slide, means for limiting the extent of advance of theassembler slide, and a release member for said limiting means, and meansgoverned by return of said release member for releasing the brake fromthe assembler slide to permit return motion thereof.

6. In a matrix assembler for typographical machines comprising devicesfor assembling matrices in a line, an assembler slide arranged toreceive the matrices and to be advanced thereby during their assembly,means acting to return the assembler slide, a brake controlling returnmotion of said slide, means for limiting the extent of advance of theassembler slide, and a release member for said limiting means, meansactuated by operation of said release member for releasing the brakefrom the assembler slide.

'7. In a matrix assembler for typographical machines comprising devicesfor assembling matrices in a line, an assembler slide arranged toreceive the matrices and to be advanced thereby during their assembly,means acting to return the assembler slide, a brake controlling returnmotion of said slide, means for limiting the extent of advance of theassembler slide, and a release member for said limiting means, a springpressed plunger mounted in a position to be actuated by said releasemember and having a cam thereon, and means cooperative with said cam andconnected to the brake for releasing the brake when said plunger isactuated by said release member.

3. In a matrix assembler for typographical machines comprisingassembling devices for assembling matrices in a line, an assembler slideto receive the matrices and to be advanced thereby while being assembledin a line, means for driving the assembling devices including means forcontrolling the operation thereof, means for limiting the extent ofadvance of the assembler slide, a release member for said limitingmeans, means acting to return the assembler slide, and a brakecontrolling return motion of said slide, means actuated by operation ofthe controlling means for said driving means or the release member forreleasing the brake from the assembler slide.

SAMUEL E. SPERRY.

